Best Smartphones on the Market Now

Best Smartphones on the Market Now

By Mark SpoonauerJuly 31, 2015 4:02 AM

Smartphone shoppers generally fall into one of two camps: iPhone and Android. We can help settle that debate. The best smartphone overall is the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy S6 ($199 on a two-year contract). It's faster, sports a bigger and higher-res display than the iPhone, a camera that excels in low light and a sexier glass-and-metal design.

Still, if you prefer Apple's ecosystem, the iPhone 6 is a great choice for those who want access to the latest apps first and who want a phone that's really easy to use with a high-quality camera. On a budget? Pick up the third-gen Moto G, which starts at just $179 unlocked and offers a bright 5-inch display, long battery life and a good camera.

How We Rate Phones

We review dozens of smartphones each year and rate them on a 5-star scale using a combination of subjective criteria (design, ease of use), our own benchmarks (such as our battery, audio and display tests) and synthetic benchmarks (Geekbench for speed, 3DMark for graphics, etc.).

Samsung Galaxy S6

Best Smartphone Overall

Samsung's Galaxy S6 is the phone to beat. It boasts a new glass-and-metal designs that looks attractive and feel solid, plus a gorgeous 5.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 Super AMOLED screen. Under the hood, you'll find a powerful octa-core CPU with 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage standard. Photographers will love this handset, as it packs a faster 16-MP rear shooter that excels in low light, plus a 5-MP selfie cam. Add in built-in wireless charging, and you have our top pick. If you're willing to splurge, the Galaxy S6 Edge offers an even sleeker dual-curved display for $100 more. Read the Full Review

Technical Specifications

Display Size (Pixels) :

5.1 inches (1440 x 2560)

CPU :

Octa-core Exynos Processor

RAM :

3GB

Storage/Expandable :

32, 64, 128GB / No

Cameras (Back/Front) :

16 MP / 5 MP

Weight :

4.7 ounces

Battery Life (hrs:mins) :

8:57

Apple iPhone 6

Best iOS Phone

Based on its ease of use, app selection, design and camera quality, the iPhone 6 is a great choice for the vast majority of shoppers. It delivers swift performance via its A8 chip, a high-quality 8-megapixel camera with fast-focus capability and a bright 4.7-inch screen, although Android phones offer sharper displays. The iPhone 6 is light and thin despite its sturdy aluminum, stainless steel and glass design. Prefer a phablet? The bigger, 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus increases the screen resolution to full HD, lasts longer on a charge, and adds optical image stabilization to the camera. Read the Full Review

Technical Specifications

Display Size (Pixels) :

4.7 inches (1334 x 750)

CPU :

64-bit A8

RAM :

1GB*

Storage/Expandable :

16, 64, 128 GB / No

Cameras (Back/Front) :

8 MP / 1.2 MP

Weight :

4.6 ounces

Battery Life (hrs:mins) :

7:27

Motorola Moto G

Best Smartphone for the Money

One of the most exciting smartphones of the year is also one of the cheapest. The Moto G starts at just $179 yet offers a vibrant 5-inch display, a very capable 13-megapixel camera and a water resistant design. Plus, you can trick out the back cover and accents in a wide range of colors on the Moto Maker website. Other perks include an impressive 9 hours of battery life. If you don’t want to run out of storage, pay a little bit more for the $210 16GB model, which also comes with an extra gig of RAM for more oomph. Read the Full Review

Technical Specifications

Display Size (Pixels) :

5 inches (1280 x 720)

CPU :

Snapdragon 410

RAM :

2GB

Storage/Expandable :

16GB/Yes

Cameras (Back/Front) :

13 MP/ 5MP

Weight :

5.45 ounces

Battery Life (hrs:mins) :

9:00

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Best Phablet

The Galaxy Note 4 is so much more advanced than your typical big screen phone that it's practically in a class by itself. The quad-HD screen is truly dazzling, and the 16-MP with optical image stabilization can go toe to toe with any other handset. Qualcomm's blazing Snapdragon 805 CPU keeps things humming along nicely. But Samsung truly ups the ante with its improved S Pen functionality (it feels like pen and paper) and enhanced multitasking features that Apple can't touch. Although the battery life isn't stellar, the Note 4 packs a lot of goodness in its new metal frame. Read the Full Review

LG G4

Best for Power Users

Its suave, leather exterior might make you think otherwise, but the LG G4 is one of the best smartphones around for power users. This handset packs Qualcomm's zippy new Snapdragon 808 processor, which makes it a breeze to run multiple apps at once on the phone's gorgeous quad-HD Quantum display. The G4 packs a removable battery and expandable storage, both of which are becoming harder to find on mainstream smartphones. Plus, with an excellent 16-MP camera that offers both a wide f 1/1.8 aperture and a manual mode packed with DSLR-like features, the G4 is a mobile photo nut's dream. Read the Full Review

Technical Specifications

Display Size (Pixels) :

5.5 inches (2560 x 1440)

CPU :

Snapdragon 808

RAM :

3GB

Storage/Expandable :

32GB / Yes

Cameras (Back/Front) :

16 MP / 8 MP

Weight :

5.47 ounces

Battery Life (hrs:mins) :

7:38

Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3

Best Unlocked Smartphone

With a bright, beautiful 1080p display, superb speakers and all-day battery life, the Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3 packs a whole lot of smartphone for an affordable price. At $250 unlocked, the Idol 3 costs less than half as much as other leading flagships. The handsome Android Lollipop device offers some nifty software customizations that let you use the phone upside down. We also loved D.J.-ing on Alcatel's Mix app, which lets you create mashups a la Anna Kendrick in Pitch Perfect. The 13-megapixel camera is more solid than spectacular, but overall this is the best smartphone bargain yet. Read the Full Review

Technical Specifications

Display Size (Pixels) :

5.5 inches (1920 x 1080)

CPU :

1.5-GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615

RAM :

2GB

Storage/Expandable :

16GB / Yes

Cameras (Back/Front) :

13 MP / 8 MP

Weight :

4.85 ounces

Battery Life (hrs:mins) :

9:16

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active

Best Rugged Smartphone

How many phones have you cracked or accidentally drowned due to your butter fingers? Instead of encasing your handset in a bulky protective case, consider the hardy Samsung Galaxy S6 Active. This sleeker-than-expected smartphone (from AT&T) survived our brutal drop and smack tests, and continued to work after being dunked in water for about 30 minutes. Plus, the Active offers speedy octa-core performance, an excellent camera and longer battery life than the regular S6. You won't worry about breaking your phone anymore. Read the Full Review

Technical Specifications

Display Size (Pixels) :

5.1 inches (2560 x 1080)

CPU :

Octa-core Exynos Processor

RAM :

3 GB

Storage/Expandable :

None

Cameras (Back/Front) :

16 MP / 6 MP

Weight :

5.3 ounces

Battery Life (hrs:mins) :

9:58

OnePlus 2

New & Notable

The flagship killer just got deadlier. Featuring a zippy fingerprint sensor designed to beat Apple's Touch ID, a beefier Snapdragon 810 CPU and an all-new OxygenOS (running on top of Android), the OnePlus 2 looks like one of the most compelling smartphone values of the year at just $329 (for 16GB). The new handset's 13-megapixel rear camera comes with new laser focus and optical image stabilization for sharper pictures, as well as a USB Type-C charging port with OnePlus' own charging cable that's reversible on both ends. All of that is wrapped up in a sleek, sturdy package with an aluminum-magnesium-alloy frame.

Moto X Style

New & Notable

Motorola went back to the drawing board with Moto X’s camera, and the result is a 21-megapixel shooter that rivals the best Apple and Samsung have to offer. This camera lets in more light, shoots fast and provides more accurate skin tones. The Style lives up to its name with a front that’s almost all screen (5.7 inches of quad HD goodness) and a back you can deck out in silicone rubber, wood or myriad other options. Add in rapid charging that gives you more juice in less time than the Galaxy S6 and you have a lot of reasons to look forward to September, when the unlocked version of the Moto X Style goes on sale for $399.

Not on this list, but I wouldn't trade my Moto X for any of these phones. Well, maybe I'd trade it, sell it, buy a new Moto X and pocket the extra cash, haha. I did quite a bit of research before buying it a few weeks ago. Had it narrowed down to a S5, Xperia Z1 Compact and the Moto X. I certainly made the right decision.

Not on this list, but I wouldn't trade my Moto X for any of these phones. Well, maybe I'd trade it, sell it, buy a new Moto X and pocket the extra cash, haha. I did quite a bit of research before buying it a few weeks ago. Had it narrowed down to a S5, Xperia Z1 Compact and the Moto X. I certainly made the right decision.

The first model Moto X wouldn't even be considered on this list because when it was released last year it was already behind on specs yet wasn't very cheap. Not sure how you think you could sell it, buy the new one for well over $400 and have money to leftover to pocket.

HTC One M8 Android > WP Version; in my opinion. I got hands on with the windows 8.1 version the other week and cortana is pretty cute but it's not that integrated yet. They should iron out some flaws on it which mostly include just overall system utliization and optimization of it as it got a bit warmer when I played with it for an extended period of time.

HTC One M8 Android > WP Version; in my opinion. I got hands on with the windows 8.1 version the other week and cortana is pretty cute but it's not that integrated yet. They should iron out some flaws on it which mostly include just overall system utliization and optimization of it as it got a bit warmer when I played with it for an extended period of time.

Still like my android M8 and not planning on switching.

Cortana is just like siri when she was first released, pretty buggy and useless at this point in time

Iphone 6 Plus best camera phone??? That all thanks to an 'inspiring' Apple speech, a new marketing term like iSight and maybe a couple of minutes hands on. Amazing how you can then decide it is better than, let's say, a Lumia 1020 with a proven Pureview camera. Tom's Guide has fallen hard from an authority on hardware to a blabbering, non thinking scribbler on the web.

Iphone 6 Plus best camera phone??? That all thanks to an 'inspiring' Apple speech, a new marketing term like iSight and maybe a couple of minutes hands on. Amazing how you can then decide it is better than, let's say, a Lumia 1020 with a proven Pureview camera. Tom's Guide has fallen hard from an authority on hardware to a blabbering, non thinking scribbler on the web.

Maybe the OP meant "best camera among iPhones". Otherwise I would not understand why a phone that's NOT on the market yet made it on the "Best Smartphones on the Market Now" list.

I just bought the M8 android, 128gb sd, BT keyb, UAG maverick cover
well, i'm not a videomaker or photographer and i don't plan to swim and take selfies in water with it... i like quality material, performance and battery life. I was a Nokia fanboy when the world wasn't crazy about touchscreens

I'm also not comfortable with the fact that a phone that was just launched, and has no proper review coverage, not to mention feedback from actual users, made it in this list.
I knew Tom's was more thorough in its statements, that in the past, were formulated after extensive tests, not just marketing promises/terms and some very little reviewer hands-on experience.